By Jv Ramos

Like many dancers, Ballet Manila company artist Stephanie Santiago equated ballet with playtime when she was a young girl. “I asked to be enrolled in ballet because a friend was taking it and I wanted to spend more time with her,” begins the ballerina, who’s known to friends as Steph or Steffi.  “My parents agreed because I was such an energetic kid growing up and ballet may just be that activity that I could pour my extra energy into.”

Little did Stephanie know that ballet would turn into something she couldn’t live without. “I was 5 or 6 when I first started taking classes and I’ve never stopped since. By twelve, after my first competition, I already knew that I’d like to turn dancing into my career.” She felt so strongly about dance that she raised the idea of being homeschooled as early as fourth grade to her family, so she could train more.

“My homeschooling instead began after sixth grade as I wanted to graduate from grade school with my friends. Sure, I missed out on high school things like prom and a retreat, but I also knew that I was experiencing things that other people weren’t,” she notes.

Apart from her training with ACTS Manila under Chelo Gemina during her formative years, Stephanie also went through ballet summer intensives that brought her to Australia and San Francisco. At the age of 15, this determined young lady found herself auditioning for three US-based ballet company schools (Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet) in just one day.

“I kept auditioning for schools in the U.S.  at that time because I was always interested in the Western repertoire,” she explains. “I like the athleticism that they bring to ballet, and how they would break stereotypical body types and push dancers.” Despite being jetlagged during her audition day, our subject was accepted into Joffrey Ballet’s studio company program on a full scholarship. No mean feat, since the program only tends to accept American citizens and is limited to ten applicants a year.  

“I however only stayed there for a year,” points out the  ballerina. “Because I was so young, the pressure was so much different. I went through a lot of mental health problems during my stay. I was very depressed and I didn’t have the right circles and people around me. I soon felt that I needed to come home and be near family.”  

Given that it’s the goal of many Filipino ballerinas to make it abroad, Stephanie’s return to Manila felt like an absurd move for her career. But she underlines, “I decided that it was more important to me to be a good person and have good character, and the only way to achieve that was to have a good set of friends and family surrounding you.”

She professes to having no regrets about coming home then. “For me, what makes a dancer great isn’t about where he or she is. It doesn’t matter if you’re here or abroad. What matters is that you’re dancing with a good heart.”

When she came back, Stephanie decided to audition for Ballet Philippines (BP), the company she had been most exposed to growing up, and spent more than two years dancing neo-ethnic and contemporary pieces there. Then, when the pandemic hit, she found her way into the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance Workshop that eventually led her to becoming an artist with the newly formed Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP).

“My experience during those years with BP and ARDP was an eye-opener, especially when it came to the politics involved. When you’re put in that situation, there’s really no right or wrong. You just have to base your decision on the kind of dancing and experiences you’d like to go through.” In Stephanie’s case, being a versatile dancer was what she wanted to achieve, so she went with a company which gave her opportunities to dance mixed choreographies.

“My early professional years definitely thickened my skin,” analyzes the ballerina. “Learning modern dance was physically and mentally challenging that every time I’d get home, my family could tell that I went through a tough time and was disappointed with myself. They, too, could tell that I was on the verge of quitting, but they also knew that the decision to quit should come from me.”

Stephanie decided to take her dancing to the U.S. once more in late 2022. “Because it was going to take a while for them to process my work visa, I decided to approach Ms. Lisa [Macuja-Elizalde] and ask if I could join company classes while waiting for my papers.” Ballet Manila’s artistic director welcomed her to the company’s studio in Pasay and even offered her a “per project” contract as the company needed more female dancers in their season performances.

“I began taking classes in Ballet Manila and in just a span of three months, I found myself getting attached to the company,” she says. “Everyone here is just so welcoming and nice. And my gosh! Everyone is just so hardworking! There’s also the fact that in just a short time, I felt that I’m learning and growing in my ballet training.” Stephanie notes that despite the bad days she’d sometimes go through, especially as she was adjusting to the Vaganova technique, she’d still find herself genuinely smiling in the Ballet Manila studio.

“When it was revealed to me that my work visa could no longer be pushed through, I was shocked that I actually felt happy about it. It meant that I could accept the company artist contract Ms. Lisa offered me and I get to stay and continue with Ballet Manila.” It was in April 2023 that she became part of the company, but before that, she had already been given the opportunity to perform in a Ballet Manila production, Martin Lawrance’s Romeo & Juliet, last February.

Casted as one of Romeo’s lovers before he meets Juliet, Stephanie was delighted by the experience of working under the British choreographer. “I really like how open-minded Martin is. He’s open about dancers contributing steps to his choreography. Also, his modern interpretation of Romeo & Juliet is easy to understand. I also like that he chose Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas for the balcony scene. When I close my eyes and listen to that music, I really could see Romeo and Juliet professing their love for each other. That scene is so beautiful that the Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas pas des deux has become part of my wish list of Ballet Manila pieces I’d like to dance.”

Apart from the Shakespearean ballet, Stephanie, in her first season with the company, has danced multiple roles in the ballet classic Don Quixote last May. In a Facebook post then, Stephanie celebrated the many firsts she was having in the ballet classic. It was apparently not only her first Don Quixote, but also her first full-length classic since 2019 and her first time to wear a tutu since 2021.

In August, in Gerardo Francisco Jr.’s Ibong Adarna, Stephanie was also given a number of roles in the corps. But she was excited to also be given a chance to take on a special part in the second show. In Ballet Manila’s season-ender, she alternated with soloist Rissa May Camaclang in portraying the fierce and protective Reyna Amazona.

“After I danced that role, I realized that it was the first time that I actually felt really good about myself.  I knew that I gave the role my all, and I couldn’t have done that if I didn’t know how many people believed in me. Throughout my preparation for the role, Ms. Lise, Sir Geri, Martin and Teacher Lops [Eileen Lopez, Ballet Manila co-artistic associate] had nothing but words of encouragement.”

After the performance, Stephanie was bowled over when Abigail Oliveiro, who was the Ibong Adarna, approached her to praise her performance of the lead woman warrior. She was also surprised when Mark Sumaylo, who was the eldest prince Don Pedro, handed her the bouquet that had been given him at curtain call. “These are principal dancers!” she gushes, still marveling that she had somehow gotten their attention.

The company artist puts forward, “Truly, I’m very grateful, especially for Ms. Lise. More than taking me in, she’s made me into a better dancer, given me a supportive family, and a place for healing. You really can’t ask for more.”

Currently, Stephanie is busy preparing for the limited run of Romeo & Juliet at the Hyundai Hall Areté at the Ateneo De Manila University in Quezon City on September 16 and 17.  “Martin did some changes to give Act II more volume, so I’m now not just appearing in Act I.  When changes like these come up, I’m grateful for being given more opportunities to dance.” In addition, she’s excited seeing the company grow more into their characters as the dancing part isn’t foreign territory anymore. “It will be a better Romeo &  Juliet than what was originally performed.”

And what are the ballerina’s future goals? Stephanie shares that she would very much love to grow with Ballet Manila and along the way, be able to dance fierce characters and impactful contemporary pieces. Moreover, she would like to follow the footsteps of her artistic director.

“Even before I came to Ballet Manila, Ms. Lisa had been a longtime idol. She danced so beautifully for so many years and only stopped when she herself decided to. I would like to dance ballet for as long as I can too! I want to dance in good health and with a happy and healthy heart. That’s currently the dream for me.”